Big Hero
by Brittsie-95
Summary: Yueng-Hidalgo Da-Xia is tired of the constant criticism that life seems to throw at her, and is determined to show the world that she can become somebody reliable, and capable of making a difference in the world. A hero. But not just any hero, but a hero for the everyday people who are told who and who can't become a hero. For the ordinary people who are really, extraordinary.
1. Chapter 1

**[Edited 12/9/17]**

A/n: I wanted to redo the story if you were wondering where it disappeared to. I can't say enough how much I love this series even though it tries to break me with every new chapter released. Especially when Eraserhead is involved. But - that's not important. What is important is that my character was very much inspired by ATLA and LOK, but more-so Korra than Aang, but will be pretty different from Avatar, hopefully. There will be some things that I take inspiration of but will bend and twist to become my own. With that being said my character has a quirk that is often considered overpowered and made to be without weakness and limitations - that is not the case here. I have done my best to give my character believable weaknesses and limitations because I know, that no one likes an overpowered sue, right?

I've written my fair share in the past.

Warning: This story will have gay relationships - no, not gay as in "fucking", which the majority of this site seems to think gay/lesbian relationships are...but gay, as in two people of the same sex who love each other, and are not going to fuck because they are underage and that's a big no-no. So if you don't agree with homosexual relationships, or only like homosexual relationships when they are fucking - this story is not for you.

I'm also not Spanish. Everything Spanish related to Da-Xia was learned from the internet.

Summary: Yueng-Hidalgo Da-Xia is tired of the constant criticism that life seems to throw at her, and is determined to show the world that she can become somebody strong, and capable of making a difference in the world. A hero. But not just any hero, but a hero for the everyday people who are told who and who can't become a hero. For the ordinary people who are really, quite extraordinary.

Tried to do something new with my character. I like her, so hopefully, you all will, too.

* * *

In the world that current society lives in, children learn at a very young age, that the world is not made equal. To those that are labeled "different", they are ridiculed and treated much crueler than the rest of the world.

The scenario had all began in the town of Qing Qing, China. It was when the birth of a luminescent baby caught the wind and took the world by storm. Not long after that, many more cases of strange phenomena began to sprout all over the world. While the trigger to these odd new powers was never found, the time had passed, and people adjusted to their new, strange world. Slowly, but surely, what was once a dream, had become a reality for many, and a nightmare for others.

On this massive, overpopulated planet, around eighty-percent of the human race have developed unique individualities dubbed, "quirks". Society has entered a new age - a society of superhumans. And in the whirling chaos of this blooming world, the profession that people had once dreamed of came true.

The great phenomenon was attended by an accompanying increase in crime levels. And while nations dawdled in making any sort of radical change to the law, men and women of courage took inspiration from comics and braved the mantle of heroism. They began policing this brave new world, and defending innocents from evil. Suddenly, through the swell of public opinion, heroism gained rights as an official occupation. And due to their various acts of meritorious service, they obtained income from the state, and renown from the people.

And the heroes before them...were forgotten in time.

This is the story of a girl who wants to change the meaning of what it is to be a hero. To show that world, that even if you don't have some fancy quirk or stand out, you too, can still be a hero.

For the ordinary people who find the strength to preserve and endure in spite of the overwhelming obstacles of everyday life.

For the ordinary people who make the world...so very, extraordinary.

The true heroes of the world.

Those are the people she is going to fight for.

She'll change the world of heroes, for the better.

...

As soon as she gets out of bed.

* * *

"Da-Xia it is time to wake up. I'm running late on time today, so do not make me repeat myself, young lady."

Black stilettos tapped against the carpeted floor in a fast, impatient rhythm, belonging to a tall, and slender woman with milky white skin, and sharp brown eyes that were glaring down at a large lump resting beneath a mixture of blankets and dirty laundry. The woman clicked her tongue and chewed on her ruby painted lips as her fingers brushed away strands of onyx hair so that her fingers could rest against her temple.

A quick glance was spared at the expensive watch on her wrist that ticked by faster with every passing second, reminding her of the little time she had to glanced at her watch and to the lump once more as a sigh of frustration breezed past her lips.

"Yeung-Hidalgo Esperanza Da-Xia! Do not make me repeat myself again or so help me...if I am late to my meeting because of this then you're going to be punished like you've never been punished before."

Her voice was sharp and even, showing just how very serious she was.

Beneath the blankets of the clumsy fort rest a head of messy, chestnut brown hair. The owner of the bed-head groaned as a sudden intrusion of light filled the room and bled into their eyes. They grumbled under their breath and pulled the blankets high over their head to block out the light, but it was little use as the blankets were ripped from their body, regardless. The person grumbled as they rolled over to view the one responsible for ruining their sleep; sharp, brown eyes belonging to a middle-aged Chinese woman glared down at the lumps light blue eyes, sending the smallest bead of sweat down their neck.

"Morning?" Da-Xia hoarsely choked out.

The brown eyes belonging to Da-Xia's mother hardened. Her manicured hands balled into fists as she leaned down to leer at the sleepy teenager.

"It might as very well be mid-day with how long I have been standing here." She said in reply. "Do you plan to spend the rest of your life lazing around in bed, Da-Xia? It must be nice to have such a luxury. Just remember how hard your mother is working as you waste your day doing...whatever it is you do.

Da-Xia groaned and forced herself to roll out of bed and on to her cluttered floor. She looked up at her mother with bleary eyes through a thick veil of hair of messy, tangled hair, opposed to her mother's neat hair that was pulled in an elegant bun; there wasn't a single hair out of place on her head.

Da-Xia yawned and scratched at the mole on the fat of her cheek near the left side of her lips.

"Come on Ma', cut me some slack, okay? I spent the whole day yesterday training like you told me to do. I'm exhausted."

Da-Xia's mother frowned. "It seems to me that I've let you slack a little too much." She frowned down at her daughter's round form. "Your father hasn't been sneaking you food again, has he? The diet I created for you should ensure that you're getting the proper nutrition you need...but, you're still..."

"Fat?" Da-Xia frowned. "Yeah, I've noticed. "You don't have to go out of your way every day to point it out, mother."

Da-Xia glared at her mother and pulled herself up on the floor. She stretched out her body and sighed as her bones popped and cracked, relieving some of the tension of her late night training.

"Why do you care if I sleep in any way?" Da-Xia asked. "It's not like you're actually going to be here. God forbid you set aside work and spend some time with your family."

The last part had been whispered, but judging by how her mom's eye had narrowed, she heard anyway.

Her mother must not have been in the mood for arguing as she let her comment slide by. Instead, she sighed and looked down at her watch with a frown.

"For someone who was so persistent about becoming one of those heroes - you think you would remember that you have your exam today." Her mother gave the tiniest hint of a smile. "You seem to have taken after your father's memory. I would have never made such a mistake. Now that you're awake you need to shower and get dressed. I've had your father prepare a lean breakfast for you that will give you the energy to do sufficient on your testing."

Da-Xia frowned. Her mother didn't know the first thing about food, but it wasn't like she knew anything either. It was pretty much a running gag at this point that none of the women in her family knew how to cook, while all the men seemed to be gifted in the culinary arts.

Da-Xia held on to hope that her papá's godly cooking would make up for the bland meal he was being forced to make under her mother's strict ruling.

Da-Xia gave a tired yawn in reply. "Alright, alright. The sooner you leave the sooner I can get ready." Da-Xia said, already searching her room for something to wear.

She picked a shirt off the ground and brought it to her nose for the sniff test. She recoiled backward immediately and threw the shirt down.

Nope. That wouldn't do.

"I figured this would happen. I've left you a clean outfit in the bathroom. I expect you to have your laundry done by the time I get home tonight, understand?"

If you ever come home.

"...Yes, mother. Can I?..."

There was a stiff moment of silence. Da-Xia felt incredibly awkward standing in a shirt that was too big even for her, and a pair of baggy shorts and mismatched socks with her hair looking like something out of a horror film. She flinched away from her mother's scrutinizing eyes that were surely judging her very thoroughly. It went on for longer than Da-Xia would have cared for before her mother finally cleared her throat and stiffly approached her.

A hand was placed on her shoulder, but it lacked warmth. It was strange how foreign the gesture felt.

"I expect you to do your best today. It might be hard...but, just try your best. Just keep in mind that Yuuei has incredibly high expectations and a certain image of what a hero should be...I say this so that you're not discouraged if you don't make it through. However you are half of my child, so I'm sure you'll do adequate enough. At best, you could make it into General Studies. What I'm trying to say is..."

You're not good enough.

"Do...don't let me down."

Da-Xia scoffed. "Wishful thinking." The girl spat out bitterly and moved away from her mother. "I'll do my best not to humiliate you, mother. You could at least give me some credit before dismissing me as a hopeless case, too. Is it that hard to have a little faith in me for once? I swear you're just as bad as the rest of the world! You're not exactly perfect yourself, either."

Da-Xia didn't give her mother a chance to answer as she stormed past her and into the bathroom with the door slamming shut behind her. It was a minute later before she heard the shuffling of her mother's footsteps outside the door. There was a pause, followed by a heavy sigh and inaudible grumbling as her mother reminded her of the laundry and left her to herself.

The Chinese-Spanish girl heaved a sighed and glared at the reflection looking back at her with tired eyes. A mocha-skinned girl, with long chestnut brown hair that spilled past her shoulders, face, and body full of freckles, and a single mole placed on the left side of her plump, pink lips.

Da-Xia stood on the very tip of her toes to get a better look at herself. She wasn't very tall, only measuring at five-feet - barely. What she lacked in height she made up in structure; Short, pear-shaped, and very, very chunky. Her chubbiness came from her love of anything sweet.

She would have liked to blame her papá for her being overweight but it wasn't like he forced the food down her throat.

Her weight didn't even bother her. Her mother's comments did. And if it weren't her mother's comment it was the rest of society, and it was more-so the way they acted than anything. The only thing people seemed to care about anymore was how flashy a hero was - All Might, for example; the guy sticks out in all the best ways possible, and is an absolute crowd pleaser; he's loved by everyone on the side of justice and hated by those on the opposite spectrum.

He stands out. Everyone knows his name.

And then there are people like Da-Xia. The ordinary people. Other than her quirk there isn't really anything that stands out about her unless she is using her quirk, and even then it's pretty underwhelming when you see the person behind it. It's one of the things that Da-Xia disliked the most about the world of heroes, and the thing she wanted to change the most.

She was tired of the world of heroes focusing on aesthetics.

Da-Xia shook her head and stripped herself. She took a quick shower opposed to her normal longer ones since she didn't want to be late to the exam, knowing her mother would kill her considering how much she begged and pleaded to be allowed to take Yuuei's entrance exam.

Her mother disliked heroes. Why? No one knew. Maybe it was because she was quirkless? Both of her parents are, which is a wonder how she or her siblings came out with quirks.

Done with her shower she looked over the outfit her mother arranged. She was surprised that she didn't hate it. A dark brown jacket placed over a pale pink hoodie and pair of light colored jeans tucked into a pair of brown boots. Da-Xia pulled the outfit on and headed back to her room to grab her brown pair of glasses that took up half her face, and a beige beanie to throw over top her messy hair. She also wrapped a white wool scarf around her shoulders for good measure and packed a spare change of clothes.

A delicious aroma floated up the stairs pulling Da-Xia from her room and to the downstairs kitchen, where her father stood in a frilly pink apron obnoxiously humming along to the radio and gyrating his hips.

Such a ridiculous man.

She loved that about him.

"Papá! " Da-Xia called over the loud music. "What are you making? It smells too good to be whatever crap Ma' told you to make."

Da-Xia watched her father bump hips with the radio to switch it off. He spun around to her with a Cheshire grin on his face that made his blue eyes glow with enthusiasm. His light brown hair was neatly gelled back and his scruffy beard had been trimmed a little. His skin was a bit darker than Da-Xia's, but their eyes were the same. She was practically the spitting image of her father, even sharing the same mole - though his was under his right eye.

Her father chuckled and scratched at his stubble. "You'd be right about that. I threw that crap in the back of the fridge where nobody ever looks. Don't tell your Madre, okay? She'll scold me for it for the next month or two." Her father winked making her giggle. "Instead of that boring no-good diet stuff your Made insists you eat - I've instead prepared a glorious banquet of Migas con Huevo! And before you ask - yes I included chorizo, and even fried up some peppers. Dig in, Mija."

Da-Xia grinned so largely her father worried it would split her face. Migas con Huevo (crumbs with eggs) isn't a complex dish to make, but it's one of Da-Xia's favorites, so he ends up making it more than he usually would, well tries to anyway.

Meixui found the dish to be disgusting and had pretty much banned it in the house.

Sometimes he wished his wife would lighten up just a little.

He smiled watching his daughter pile his cooking on to a dish while rambling on and on about how good it smelt, making his heart swell with pride. Cooking was something that Casimiro prided himself in ever since he was young. He loved seeing the way his food made people happy, and it took him back to his childhood where his mother would make them a big meal when they had the extra money to spend.

Casimiro always spoiled his children when they were young with his cooking, though he went a little overboard with Da-Xia since she was the youngest and a complete daddies girl. Meixui often blamed him for Da-Xia's weight, but he didn't see it as a big of an issue as his wife did - she's healthy; doctors have said it too.

Even if they hadn't said so, he would never be able to see her as anything but beautiful. The perfect little angel. When he looked at her his chest swelled with pride and love, that someone as amazing as her could be related to someone like him. It was a feeling he got whenever he looked at any of his children.

He had always wanted a big family. Meixui had given that and despite her odd little quirks, he loved her and was glad to have her in his life.

Da-Xia groaned seeing her dad had spaced out again. "Papá! Are you in there? Have you heard anything I said?"

Casimiro chuckled and shook his head. "Sorry Mija. What were you saying?"

Da-Xia sighed and forked some food into her mouth. "I asked if Arsenio and Lisandro already left," Da-Xia asked referring to her older twin brothers.

"Ah, yeah, they did. I needed them to go in a little bit earlier today. The Busy Bean is understaffed at the minute, and Tiers of Joy has a lot of orders that still need to be filled out. I can't step in since I've been busy with The Lunch Sack, so things are a little hectic at the moment. They said they'll see you at home later tonight, and that they'll have a surprise waiting for you."

Her father was pretty successful in the food industry, but his naming skills, unfortunately, sucked.

Da-Xia pouted having wanted to see her brothers before she had to leave. Arsenio and Lisandro were naturals at putting her nerves at ease. "Okay then. What about Cesario or Mingzhu? Anything from them?" Dia-Xia asked in a hopeful tone, despite knowing that the chances were slim to none.

Those two were as big of workaholics as her their mother.

But that was to be expected of a Pro Hero and a member of the Police Force.

Casimiro tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I haven't heard anything from Mingzhu yet. I think she's become engrossed in another case. As for Cesario, he called to wish you luck and remind you to not push yourself, unless you want to be lectured, again."

"No thank you," Da-Xia grumbled. "Cesario always gets off topic with his lectures and they end up taking hours. And besides, I'm not going to kill over. I'll be fine."

"Promise?"

"Huh?" Da-Xia glanced up at her father's face and laughed. He looked like a man-child with his pouty lips and furrowed brows. Such a worrier he is. "Yeah, Papá, I promise. I'll be fine so don't worry, okay?"

"I'm always going to worry about you brats." He huffed. "And it will be the death of me one day, too." Casimiro cried dramatically and leaned against the counter in a mock faint.

"You're so weird!" Da-Xia grinned and dumped her dishes in the sink. "Wish me luck, okay?" She said wrapping her father in a tight hug.

Casimiro pulled his daughter against his chest and bent to give her a kiss on the head. "Knock em' dead, kiddo. Your old man is rooting for you, and so are your brothers and sister. Your mom is too...but you know how stubborn she is."

He chuckled thinking of his prideful wife.

"Good luck baby girl."

Da-Xia pulled a face. "Thought I said not to call me that anymore. It's weird." Da-Xia pulled away from her dad and adjusted her clothing.

"Alright! I'm off then!"

She couldn't help but throw her arms around her father just one more time, pressing a sloppy kiss on his stubbly cheek.

"Thanks for believing in me, Papá. I'll do my best to make you proud. Love you!"

With those words, Da-Xia bolted out of the house leaving the grown man smiling and filled with pride.

Casimiro smiled at the empty room and chuckled.

"You already have, Mija."

* * *

"You looked pissed."Da-Xia sighed. "Yeah, real nice observation, eggplant." Da-Xia glared playfully at the purple-haired boy who walked beside of her. "And you look dead to the world as always, Shinso Hitoshi." Da-Xia playfully poked the purple-haired boy in his side, chuckling when he whacked her hand away.

Shinso Hitoshi could be classified as Da-Xia's best friend. Their meeting hadn't been anything too special, they merely went to the same school together. They met when Shinso had transferred to the school. Everyone crowded him like some kind of wild animal and bombarded him with the dumbest questions that still make her brain hurt to this day.

It was when they started to get personal that Da-Xia stepped in. She had been in that position before and knew how stressful it could be when starting a new school. It was the first time that she had ever stood up to her classmates, finding her courage to shoo them away, and even introduce herself to the new boy.

He didn't trust her at first, but his reason for doing so was justified.

It wasn't easy befriending Shinso, but she had done it, and she held no regrets towards doing so. In a way he counters her personality; Shinso is stoic, and very straightforward with the things he says and does, and can strike up a conversation with anyone and hide what he truly feels.

Da-Xia can do none of those things. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and rarely ever initiates conversations, and has a hard time saying what she is feeling.

But one they can agree on is their view of heroes and the world surrounding them. Shinso is the perfect example of this. Shinso wants to become a Pro-Hero, and Da-Xia believes that he's just the kind of person the hero world needs, but so many times he has been shot down for having a quirk that can be used for evil; it was completely stupid.

Can all quirks not be used for evil? It didn't make sense to her. How can you judge someone before you even get to know them? That kind of comments have had a negative effect of Shinso, and Da-Xia worries at times how it will affect his future but knows that Shinso is fully capable of making the right decisions.

At times she feels guilty when using her quirk without much thought for mundane things where it isn't needed. She probably wouldn't have felt so bad if she didn't know of Shinso's resentment towards people with quirks he considered "heroic".

He had made it known many times that Da-Xia was blessed with heroic quirk, and sometimes...she could see the animosity in his eyes, but she never held it against him.

Da-Xia was motivated to create a world where people like Shinso had a chance to shine.

Shinso snorted. "Don't change the subject, Dizzie." His purple eyes glanced at her knowingly. "Who went and pissed you off this time? If I had to take a guess I'd say it was your mother, again, wasn't it?"

His face scrunched. The words felt bitter on his tongue. He'd never officially met her mother, only heard stories about her through Da-Xia, but that was enough for him to know he didn't like her.

Da-Xia blushed at the stupid, but the somewhat adorable nickname. The nickname 'Dizzie' had been given to her when Shinso mistook her name for 'Dizia' and called her that for a whole month before she worked up the nerve to correct him, and by that time the nickname had stuck.

It's why she gave him the creative name 'Eggplant'.

"Am I really that easy to read?" Da-Xia sighed. "Her attitude...really annoys me. It's like nothing I ever do is good enough in her eyes! She expects perfect and can't recognize that I am a human being with flaws, and it really bothers me. My mother is my own worst critic and it really, really sucks."

Shinso rolled his eyes at her.

"I don't know how you can stomach dealing with it."

He looked down at his fun-sized friend to see her face twisted in thought. He could practically see the gears winding around in her head, and the metaphorical fog clouding her eyes, it was always interesting to watch her when she got lost in thought. The faces she made were amusing, and sometimes could be adorable, while other times they were just plain weird.

"She's my mother," Da-Xia stated the obvious. "It's not so bad once you get used to it, I guess. I've learned over the years how to block out her criticism and bluntness, but she still somehow manages to get under my skin. But, we are similar in some ways, at the very least."

Shinso's face twisted. "Explain." He said, flatly.

"We're both stubborn and hot-headed as hell when pushed too far, and would probably burn the world down in the path of reaching our dreams." Da-Xia grinned up at Shinso who wasn't amused in the slightest. "Aw, Eggplant! What's that face for?"

She reached up and tried - tried - to pinch his cheeks, but she fell extremely short and was left pouting as he flicked her on the forehead.

"You're too damn tall." She grumbled.

"You're too damn short." He countered.

"I'm still growing!" Da-Xia argued. "Not everyone can be hit with puberty like a truck!"

Her face turned scarlet as she folded her arms over her chest. She was...sensitive about her height. She always thought she was awkwardly proportioned compared to the others girls her age. Being fat was one thing, but being short - the very bane of her existence! It does more harm than it ever will good!

Things like this never bothered her in the past, but she was getting older now, and boys and girls were starting to notice...and hormones were incredibly annoying.

Da-Xia's lips pursed as she and Shinso had finally reached their destination: Yuuei Academy, the Department of Heroes. It is here that the Nation's hopefuls strive to acquire the necessary qualifications to become pros. Of all such schools throughout the nation, it ranks the most popular - and the most difficult.

Each year, less than one in three hundred examinees make it in; Japan's largest, and famous school where anyone wanting to become a Pro-Hero comes to learn from the best.

Many great heroes have come from Yuuei.

The man who turned down the Nation Valor Prize: All Might.

The man with the highest tally of resolved cases in history. The combustion-type hero: Endeavor.

The recipient of the Best Genest Award for Eight Consecutive years: Best Jeanist.

The man who commands the earth they walk upon with a simple flick of his wrist: Terremoto.

If a person wants to be remembered as a truly "great" hero, then enrollment at Yuuei is essential. And now, that it's finally February 26th, the time has come.

Today is that day that Yeung-Hidalgo Esperanza Da-Xia, will take part in Yuuei's practical skill exam.

Today she'll either walk away a winner or a failure.

Only one was a real option for her.

She was going to give it her all and ace this exam.

* * *

Da-Xia and Shinsho had made their way inside and found a place to sit in the midsection of the spacious auditorium. Da-Xia had her hands in her lap fidgeting nervously and looking around at all the people surrounding them. It was crazy how many people there were, and how some of them looked like characters she had dreamed of when she was a child. It only made her more self-conscious of her plain appearance and brought the question to her mind of how the heck she was supposed to stand out to get Yuuei's approval.

"It's hard to believe we're finally here."

Da-Xia snapped out of her thoughts and looked over at Shinso. He had one of his fist tucked under his chin and his other hand was lounging lazily on the back of his neck. His face showed no signs of nervousness, but she had known him long enough to know that he was feeling tense by the way he covered his neck.

"Yeah. It's crazy how fast time went." Da-Xia spoke quietly. "It almost doesn't feel real."

Shinso noticed her sudden shift in demeanor and frowned. "Are you nervous or overthinking again?" He asked though he had an idea of the answer already.

"Both." Da-Xia laughed lightly. "I just have a lot riding on this, so I guess I'm more nervous. This is a big deal...if I fail this test, then my dream of becoming a hero is as good as dead. My mom is only giving me one chance to prove myself, and show her that this isn't a complete waste of her time." She sighed. "She's never been fond of heroics, ya know. She was really pissed off when I told her that I wanted to become a hero, but I was eventually able to manage to persuade her somehow. Though, the only way she'll allow me to continue to peruse my dream is through Yuuei."

No exceptions.

Da-Xia sighed and traced the wooden indentations of the desk. Her mother was very firm about it all. It's either Yuuei or nothing. None of the other schools were good enough in her most humble opinion.

She was the same way with Cesario and Mingzhu, too, even though Ming had no desire to become a hero she still didn't approve of the idea of her working with them.

Shinso made a sound in the back of his throat and removed the hand on the back of his neck to rest on the desk.

Da-Xia could feel her mood turning even sourer by the minute until she was suddenly picked flicked against the forehead by Shinso who was sporting a small grin.

"You're really starting to bum me out, Dizzie. Why are you worried so much? You'll do fine. Your quirk is exactly what they're looking for. You'll fit right into their pockets."

She frowned and pushed Shinso's hand away. Da-Xia sighed and rested her elbows on the desk, squeezing her chubby face between her hands completely uncaring about the fish face she was making.

"My quirk doesn't matter if I don't have the skill to back it up, eggplant."

Shinso didn't reply as the lights on stage suddenly burst to life, and a man with ridiculous styled hair wearing leather walked on stage with a big smile on his face and boundless energy.

Da-Xia's face fell. "Why him?...It's so early..." Her face fell forward onto the desk as Present Mic bellowed into the microphone, nearly causing her eardrums to burst.

 **"WELCOME ONE AND ALL TO MY LIVE SHOW!"**

Da-Xia groaned and rubbed her ears. She couldn't help but wonder how Cesario could stand living with someone like Present Mic. The two were such opposites with Cesario being a calm guy, with a laid-back personality, and then Present Mic being an endless source of energy. It had to get exhausting, didn't it? Then again she really didn't know much about Present Mic other than the fact he was loud, had some kind of voice quirk, and was one of her brother's roommates (She was clueless as to who the other was since Cesario didn't share many details of his private life.) - that's all.

And she'd feel weird snooping online to find out things about him like some crazy obsessed fan. In the end, it really didn't matter if she understood or not, as long as Cesario was happy...and remained sane.

Da-Xia pressed against her cheek as she barely listened to Present Mic drone on and on, overhyping everything and trying - and failing - to get some kind of reaction out of the crowd.

 **"I've got shivers down my spine, too, listeners! All right, examinees...I'm gonna give you the low-down on how this'll go down! Are you ready!?"**

Silence.

 ** _"YEAH!"_**

"This guy is annoying," Shinso said with a frown. Da-Xia nodded.

"It's to be expected of the voice-type hero. His radio show isn't too bad though since he plays some pretty good music. He works more underground so it's rare you hear about him in the news." Da-Xia hummed and tapped her fingers on the desk. "But still...he's a Pro-Hero, and got that title for one reason or another."

"You sound like a fan." Shinso snorted.

Da-Xia huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "Not even close. My favorite hero is nothing like this guy." And she was glad for that.

 **"Now pay close attention, listeners! We'll be testing your mettle by running a ten-minute practice run at our replica city-district! You can take whatever you like! Everybody gather at the designated area after the presentation, ya dig?"**

Da-Xia's eyes crinkled. Shinso tensed.

 **"We'll be sprinkling a large number of "villains" over the battlefield, and they'll appear in three different varieties, with point values scaled according to difficulty! Using each of your individual quirks, dispatch as many villains as you can. Your goal, listen, is to rack up a high score! And don't think about directly attacking any other competitors or any of that nasty anti-hero stuff, because that's against the rules, capisce!?"**

"That's hardly fair to those without physical quirks." Da-Xia frowned.

She glanced over at Shinso who was barely paying attention to what Mic was saying, have become lost in his thoughts. She was so busy looking at Shinso that she completely missed the conversation going on in the background.

 **"Okay, okay! Thanks for the segue, much appreciated, examine 7111! The fourth type of villain you'll encounter is worth zero points! Let's call them "arena traps". Have any of you ever played Super Mario Brothers before!? You remember those things that'd go thwomp on you!? There's a thing like that is each area! Their gimmick is that they rampage when crowded."**

So it's like a stage hazard, then? I get it. We just need to avoid them at all costs. I guess it is kinda like a video game then.

 **"Well, that's enough for me! I'll leave you all with a presentation of the school precepts of this academy of mine. As a Captain Hero by the name of Napoleon Bonaparte once said 'A true hero never stops overcoming the misfortunes in life'! Now let's move to the main event! Plus Ultra!"**

This was it. Now or never. Her only chance at becoming a hero...

 **"And may you all gladly suffer the trials to come!"**

Time to prove to the world that I have what it takes to become someone.

Da-Xia turned to wish Shinso good luck, only to find that he had already disappeared in the wavering crowd. She couldn't deny the feeling of pity that coursed throughout her body.

...Could Shinso really do this? She wanted to believe so...

But the world is such an affair reality to those who are the most deserving.

* * *

Da-Xia had changed from her regular clothes into a pair fit for training. She wore a large white shirt with All Might's logo on it, and a pair of black trackies and simple running shoes. Da-Xia stretched out her body with an achy groan. She was still incredibly sore from all the training she had been doing but refused to let it hinder her on today of all days.

She and Shinso had been separated, not that she minded too much. She felt bad for him, she really did, but she had to think about herself too, didn't she? Besides, Shinso was smart and she was more than sure that he could figure out a way around the limitations the exams hindered him with.

Da-Xia looked around at her competition with a nervous gaze. Everyone...looked so in place, while she felt so out of place. Again she wondered if this was all worth it or no, but swallowed down those thoughts when her eyes landed on a boy with spiky blond hair, and crimson eyes. He was dressed in a black tank top that...really fit him, extremely well.

You would never hear it from Da-Xia that she thought he looked extremely attractive, and that she had definitely not been drooling over his muscles like a lovesick schoolgirl.

Fuck hormones.

Denying it would have pointless anyway since he caught her staring, but he was anything but flattered. The face he pulled was one of the ugliest things that Da-Xia's ever seen and completely ghosted over his attractive features beneath it.

"What the fuck are you staring at, lard ass?!" The boy snarled with hands on his knees as he stretched his legs out. "Take a fucking picture to make it last longer." As he said this, the muscles in his arms flexed and his hands now resting sides crackled with miniature explosions.

Da-Xia fumbled over her words and turned her back to him looking like a freshly picked tomato. She was confused as to why she was feeling both offended and attracted to the explosive stranger.

You're a teenager. It's normal. She told herself.

"AAAAND START!"

"Huh?" Da-Xia looked around for the source of the voice.

"What the matter!? There's no such thing as a countdown to a real battle! Run! Ruuun! Consider the baton tossed!"

And just like that, all hell broke loose.

A grunt escaped her lips as she was knocked to the ground - roughly. Da-Xia looked up to see the blond-haired boy looking back at her with a challenging smirk on his face. Bastard! She internally hissed and jumped to her feet.

Being hot didn't excuse being a dick.

She quickly ran to catch up with everybody else.

Quirks were revealed left and right as people fought to get their share of points. Da-Xia strained her vision for one of the robotics and soon found it as a one-pointer came dashing towards her.

"Target lock-on! Murder!"

A one-pointer, huh? Their fast, but very brittle; easy points.

Da-Xia clenched her fist and closed her eyes tightly.

Everything is riding on how well I do today. I cannot, and will not fail. This is my dream – Yuuei is my one shot at becoming a real pro hero...I can do this.

Da-Xia's eyes snapped open and burned with determination.

 _Showtime._

* * *

Katsuki had quickly forgotten about the girl once the thrill of battle had taken over him. He wasted no time blowing the machines to smithereens and reaping in the glory. His pride swelled with every gasp of amazement or compliment tossed his way. Those weaklings knew nothing of his true power! He was only just getting fucking started.

His crimson eyes lurked around for his next target, but instead, he found something else.

The sight of her took his breath away.

Not in the - "wow, she's so gorgeous" kind of the way but in the, "wow, she's is kicking ass", kind of way.

The fat girl that he saw from earlier was absolutely dominating the space around her.

Sparklings of embers seemed to dance around her, before becoming full blown flames that danced around her body and fingertips, as she performed some kind of aggressive dance of fiery passion. With every movement of her arms or sweeping of her legs, the fire would follow as it if was melded into her body from the very beginning. The way she moved reminded him of some kind of martial arts with its rough jabs and quick reflexes.

The giant machines fell around her in smoldering globs of metal, as she danced around the battlefield with fire twirling at her waiting command.

She had left him paralyzed. Lardo had managed to take his fucking breath away, and it made his heart race against his will. Every movement she made had him transfixed on her and refusing to look away in fear of missing a single moment of whatever the hell was happening. Even though she was panting and clearly exhausted there was a grin on her face, and the crinkling of flames licking behind her eyes.

She was in her element, and she was high of the thrill of battle.

What the fuck kind of quirk did she have?

Katsuki was so focused on her that he hadn't even bothered to notice the mecha creeping up on him until the last moment. It finally became clear to him when a chunk of earth surrounded by flame was sent hurdling into the machine, throwing it into the building next to him, and breaking him of his trance.

His eyes fell on the large girl smirking at him.

Da-Xia frowned. "Uhm, you might want to start paying attention to your surroundings if you don't want to be crushed." She said to Katsuki who was practically smoldering.

Da-Xia shrugged and ran off with fire surrounding her, and small chunks of earth hovering around her as if they were forming a protective barrier.

Katsuki froze. He was at a loss for words for a minute until his palms crackled with embers, and he was sneering like a rabid dog.

"Come here and say that to my fucking face, Chubs!"

He grinned seeing her turn back to him.

It faltered at the sight of her. Her head was tilted to the side, and she had a thoughtful - thoughtful! - look on her face.

"Chubs? That's new. Much better than Lardo, I guess." She said. "I actually think it's kind of cute! It's a lot tamer than some of the other things people have called me in the past. I think I like it! Heh, see you later, _Bomber Boy!_ Maybe in Yuuei - if you're good enough."

Da-Xia tossed him a wink and went on her way to gather more points before time ran out. She left Katsuki standing there with smoke pouring from his hands, and a scowl threatening to tear his face apart.

That was fucking new. He wasn't used to people brushing him off so easily; cry, whimp out, those were the normal reactions people fave him.

He wasn't supposed to be the one being fucking taunted.

Katsuki turned his back to the robot approaching him and slammed an explosion into its face.

Fuck her.

Katsuki focused his frustrations on the "enemies" surrounding him, but in the back of his mind was the memory of a fiery fat-face girl that he couldn't get to go away, no matter how hard he fucking tried.

* * *

With her inner fire ignited she dashed toward the robot charging her, and stomped her foot on the ground twice, and then slid it to her right; a pillar of earth rose from the ground with her on top of it. If the machine could have glared it would have done so in that moment.

Da-Xia grinned and cracked her stiffening neck. She then jumped into the air with a small gust of air propelling her upwards, that was followed by a small twirl that caught her leg on fire. Da-Xia slammed the flaming limb into the machines face, smashing through its glaring red eye and sending it toppling backward as its interior caught on fire.

The robot let out a metallic screech as it clambered to the ground, into nothing more than a pile of broken scrap metal.

Da-Xia landed back on the ground with a flip. She was heavily panting.

Her body felt hot - too hot, burning hot, and her vision was growing blurry with every passing moment. She should have known that using her fire too much would cause her to overheat, and with no control over water she couldn't cool herself down.

Her knowledge of fire and basic skills with earth was all she had at the moment, and neither of those was going to save her from barbecuing herself alive. Not only that, but her skin was beginning to blister and burn. Not to mention the fatigue of her late-night training was quickly catching up with her.

She cursed internally. She knew that the smart thing to do would be to slow down and think things through - she knew this; there was just too much riding on this exam for her to do so, meaning she'd have to suck it up and deal with the consequences later.

Her fire is an extremely powerful asset, as well as it is dangerous. It was the hardest of the elements to master, and yet she had done it was relative ease. The thing with fire is, the stronger it becomes, the more dangerous and harder to control it becomes.

Water was the one that proved to be most difficult for her, which only made her even more envious of my sister's perfection over her's.

Air was still a work in progress, and not even worth attempting again with so much riding on the line.

Da-Xia shook away her thoughts and shakily rose to her feet. She took a minute to catch her breath and jumped back into the fray, weaving in and out of the machines only to find herself cornered. Smoldering balls of fire were tossed into their faces quickly shorting them out.

So far she had managed to gather a score of forty-eight points.

She knew that if she didn't slow down soon enough that she would be put out of commission...but she couldn't give up just yet!

The number of villains is dropping by the second! And of course, they'd never show us how many villains there are, or where the hell they placed them. Instead, we're forced to focus on things like insight, agility, judgment, and sheer fighting force.

Suddenly the ground began to shake, and the sounds of screaming pulled Da-Xia's attention to a large, menacing robot that stood higher than a building. At once, people began to flee, nearly toppling over others to get out of the way.

Da-Xia figured that this must be the arena trap, the bot that's worth no points at all. Meaning, it wouldn't be worth fighting. She like everyone else knew that running would be the best option, and so she did; but then Da-Xia heard it, yelling, more specifically, pleas for help.

"Huh?"

Da-Xia whipped around and was surprised to see a group of people cornered by the gigantic robot. They had nowhere to run, nowhere to escape, and one of them looked to be injured pretty badly. She frowned looking around her. Everyone was running, no one bothering to go back and rescue the fallen.

Were...were they really all going to just leave them there, and let that thing attack them?

She let loose a frown and rushed towards the group of frightened people. Others watched as she skidded to a stop in front of the group of people. Da-Xia ordered them all to stand back and spared no hesitation slamming her hand into the ground. She willed her energy into the earth, her eyes carefully following the cracking earth that traversed to the giant machine.

The ground began to shake, and crack beneath the arena trap; people began to panic, and wonder was happening.

Once the cracks reached underneath the arena trap she let out a pulse of energy, that caused pillars of jagged rock to emerge from the ground, and skewer the arena trap while also locking it in place.

The area trap screamed and began to malfunction, as the earthen pillars tore through its mechanical body and ripped it apart from the inside. Da-Xia ordered everyone to move away as the arena trap began to crumble into pieces, leading her to quickly form a barrier around everyone in the area.

Her body was screaming at her to stop.

So she did.

Holes burned into Da-Xia's back as she collapsed to her knees gasping for air, and sweating profusely; her heartbeat slowed down, and black spots danced along her vision. A haze of smoke was beginning to pour from the pores of her body, and form a light barrier of fog around her.

Everything was becoming blurry, and she could hardly keep her eyes open, and couldn't bring herself to stand.

Yeah. Definitely overdid it.

"H-Hey, you saved us! Thank you so much -" A boy, shaken by the events, reached out to touch Da-Xia, but pulled his hand back, screaming in pain as it began to blister, and turn red. "Y-Your body! It's boiling hot!"

Da-Xia grunted and collapsed to the ground.

Exhausting too much of the fire leads to her body overheating. She really overdid it today, but it was worth it...as long as I passed.

But how did Shinso do?

These were her final thoughts as fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

The room was silent as they watched the girl collapse to the ground with people crowding around her as Recovery Girl pushed her way through the crowd to aid the injured and reckless girl.

A sigh was heard from somewhere in the room, belonging to a man with mocha-tinted skin, and short, wavy sandy blond hair that shadowed dark brown eyes. The man frowned at the screen and brushed a hand through his bangs, as his other hand tapped repeatedly on the arm of the chair he was sat on.

His sister was so reckless.

But...

Cesario smirked at the impressed faces his colleagues were wearing, and wasn't surprised in the slightest to seeing the high mark beings held in the air and the praised being traded(Present Mic was among the loudest), though there were murmurs of concern, and words of criticism(Aizawa, mostly), but it hardly registered in Cesario's mind as he gave his own score with a fond smile on his face.

She was going to be a great addition to Yuuei, and he was looking forward to her progress and growth.

That didn't mean he wasn't going to scold her like there was no tomorrow when she recovered, thought Cesario with a smirk.

* * *

It was later that evening when Da-Xia was released from Recovery Girl's care. The elderly woman was able to make as good as new, and leave her with a firm scolding and warning about being so reckless. It...was a lot more effective than act lecture that Cesario could ever give.

It was just too hard to not listen to a cute little old woman.

She had hoped that when she left she could find Shinso, but he was nowhere to be found and no matter how many times she tried to text or call him, he wouldn't answer even going as far as to shut his phone off.

To Da-Xia that was a clear sign that things hadn't gone well on his end, and it made her heart sink.

Ignoring the heavy feeling she returned home, only to groan when seeing Cesario's car parked in the driveway.

No sign of her mother or Ming.

How... _typical._

Da-Xia groaned and pushed the door opening. She peaked her head around to see if everything was clear, and when not detecting anyone she tried to make her get away...

Only to run straight into the man she was trying to avoid who had appeared in the hallway that moment as if sensing her desperation to flee from the impending doom.

"Going somewhere?" Cesario grinned down at her. "You wouldn't be trying to avoid me, would you? It's rare that I get to visit home these days, and I was just so excited to see my little sister again - you really put on quite the show out there today. Let's have a chat, shall we?"

Had she not suffered enough today?!

Da-Xia eyes brimmed with tears as a long, drawn-out whine poured from her throat.

 _The world was so unfair to people like her._

 **End Note:** So I've made some obvious changes. Da-Xia and Katsuki are no longer friends from the beginning, nor does she know either Kirishima or Mina, but instead I decided to make her friends with Shinso. I feel that Shinso and Da-Xia have a dynamic that really works, plus I truly love his character and can't wait to see more of him in the actual story.

I just love him - is that so wrong?!

I also had slight pairing crisis when writing the interactions between Da-Xia and Shinso, because they'd make such a cute couple but my love for Katsuki is endless, and then I contemplated if having a poly pairing was wrong but then I remember how people view pairings and I cried.

The crisis has ended, thankfully. She's very much paired with Katsuki because they're just such an odd, and unpredicted couple and I love that.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n:** The first chapter has been edited and redone! I hope that it has improved from what it was before. I am trying my best and am taking your reviews and criticism seriously.

I want to do good with this story.

I think Casimiro is my favorite character in this story.

He's the true hero.

* * *

"I can't believe you acted so recklessly. You know better than to push yourself too far, Da-Xia. Had that been a real situation then you would have been royally screwed, and probably would be dead right about now. I know that you were trying your best, but you have to know your limitations!"

Da-Xia sat in the kitchen with her brother and father hovering over her. Cesario had been lecturing her for the last hour, and because she kept fading in and out he had to keep repeating things over, and over, _and over,_ again

She looked to her father for help, but the man had turned his back as soon as she made eye contact. There was no way he was going to be fooled by those cute puppy-dog eyes - _not again!_ And besides, she had promised him that she would be careful, and she broke that promise. He was a nervous wreck when Cesario called to tell him what had happened! Casimiro was getting older, and his heart wasn't like it used to be.

His children of all things would be the death of him, _especially his youngest!_

Da-Xia sighed and ran her fingers through her hair that was thick with sweat. She was sore, tired, and hungry, and ready to go to bed and pretend this day never happened. She waved off her brother who was still rambling and stood on her achy feet to stretch her muscles out.

"I get it already! I fucked up! Message received." Da-Xia grumbled. "I only did what I had to do to ensure that I passed. Do you _not_ realize the hell Ma' would put me through if I went through all that begging just to fail?! She'd never let me hear the end of it, and I'd end up feeling like a bigger loser than I _already_ am!"

Cesario frowned hearing this. He knew that his sister had insecurity issues, but nothing on this level. Cesario sighed, his fingers twitching against the square outline around his pants pockets, but decided to call it quit when he remembered his promise to his noisy roommate about kicking the habit.

As if he were one to talk. They all had problems that they chose to ignore.

It came with the job.

"You're not a loser, manita," Cesario spoke drawing her attention back to him. "I know you think that I'm too hard on you, but it's in your best interest. The hero world is an ugly place and comes with all kinds of risks; I need to know that you are ready to face those risks with proper judgment, so that at the end of the day I know that you're alright, and I'm not going to have to bury my little sister."

Casimiro's color drained from his face. He clutched at his chest and looked at his oldest son as if he just slapped him across the face - it sure felt like it.

 _"¡Hijo! ¡¿Estas tratando de matarme?!"_

Cesario smirked, and Da-Xia chewed back a giggle. Their dad rarely ever slipped into full-blown Spanish unless something was causing him some form of stress. Cesario mentioning the possibility of his youngest daughter caused a surge of panic.

"No, Padre, I am not trying to kill you; I am stating facts," Cesario said. "I need her to understand these things to prevent something like that ever happening, though I would walk through fire before I let anything ever happen to mi hermana pequeña."

Again Cesario tapped against the rectangle box. _Fuck_. Why had he made that promise? His only form of stress relief and he had thrown it out the door because a quirky blond-haired moron had made him promise.

Da-Xia frowned not missing the motion. Cesario used to be an avid smoker but had decided to quit, but he still got urges every now and again. The fact she was stressing him so much that he was tempted to delve back into a habit he had gone through hell to break made her feel like a real piece of shit.

Da-Xia clambered down from the stool she was sitting on and shuffled over to her brother, who was still in debate on whether starting his habit again was worth it or not. Gently, she tapped on his arm to get his attention. The older man looked down at her with a frown and a raised eyebrow.

Da-Xia jutted her lips out in a pout and raised her arms. _"Lo siento hermano."_ She whimpered in what she thought was a cutesy way.

"You look ridiculous." Cesario chided. "Apology accepted, manita. Please before more careful. It's bad enough that I have to constantly check in on Pop's, watch out for Arsenio and Lisandro, make sure Ming isn't killing herself with work, and trying to get Ma' to take a damn break once in a while. The last thing I need to do is add you to the list."

"But you will because you love me!" Da-Xia grinned. "And I'd like to believe that I'm the most stable out of everyone in this house."

"That's...probably true." Cesario chuckled.

Casimiro looked at his children with a pout. "Oh come on, kids! I'm not that bad, _am I?_ "

Cesario snorted and gave his sister an affectionate hug. "You're a child trapped in an adult's body. So yes, you are." Cesario's voice held only seriousness.

Da-Xia watched with an amused expression as her father and brother argued back in fourth. It was ironic considering the two looked like the very thing they were arguing about. She was so absorbed in the little debacle happening before her, that she hadn't heard the sound of footsteps behind her until she suddenly was blinded hands pressed over her eyes and felt the weight of someone's chin pressing down on her head.

"Guess who!" The voice chipped. "And you better get it right."

"Your hands stink!" Da-Xia gagged shoving their hands away. "As if I wouldn't be able to tell the difference, Lisandro. Sheesh, you think that I'm that big of an idiot that I can't tell my twin brothers apart?"

She could hear the audible pout her brother made as he pulled his hands away. Da-Xia spun around on her stool to face the twins.

Arsenio was wearing a broad grin, and Lisandro had a kind smile on his face.

They're identical in the face but have features that make them easy to tell apart. Arsenio has messy light brown hair and ocean blue eyes. Lisandro has blondish-brown hair worn in a bun, and light brown eyes that remind her of honey; they share the same caramel-tinted skin tone and take more after their mother's Chinese features over their father's Spanish ones.

"What are you guys doing home so early? And what's in the box?" Da-Xia motioned to the pretty pink box that Lisandro was holding. "Wait - did you bring me something home?!" Da-Xia asked excitedly when she recognized the box to be from Tiers of Joy; Japan's best sweet shop.

No. She isn't biased at all.

"It was supposed to be a surprise." Lisandro sighed. "But someone is impatient." He said, glaring at his younger twin brother.

Arsenio chuckled sheepishly and scratched his head. "Sorry, bro! I was just excited! It's a special occasion, isn't it?"

Da-Xia blinked in confusion. "It is?"

Lisandro sighed while Arsenio's eyes widened realizing what he said. Cesario stood off to the side with his eye twitching, as their father held back his laughter.

"I knew telling the two of you - " Cesario paused. He cleared his throat and glared at Arsenio."- _Arsenio_ would be a big mistake, but I had little choice since you wouldn't stop calling me while I was trying to work."

"I was excited!" He whined. "It's not every day that something as big as being accepted into Japan's greatest school happens! Can you blame me for being a proud older brother?"

Da-Xia's eyes widened. "Wait - _what?!_ I got accepted?! Really?!" She squealed with excitement, jumping up and down with a huge smile on her face and blue eyes full of happiness. "It is true, Cesario? Did I get into Yuuei?!"

The men of the house glared at Arsenio who was slowly trying to back away. The oldest of the siblings groaned in frustration. He looked down at his little sister who was trying - _trying_ \- to patiently wait for his answer, but he could see that she was about to burst at the seams with the happiness that was radiating from her body.

He caved.

"Yeah. It was decided pretty quickly, though many people shared my views of your recklessness you made one hell of an impression. Congratulations, manita, you've made me - _us_ \- all proud."

The dam that Da-Xia had been trying to control from behind her eyes broke, and the tears poured from her eyes like waterfalls as happy hiccups slipped out her throat.

She did it?

 _She did it!_

She got into Yuuei! She was going to become a hero!

 _She was one step closer towards her dream!_

Da-Xia felt arms wrapping around her that she recognized as Lisandro's from the smell of his cologne. His hugs were always super gentle and comforting. She laughed as he nuzzled her hair and whispered praise to her in Spanish.

Arsenio soon joined in, ruffling her hair and going on and on about how proud he was of her, and to make them proud and show the world what the Yueng-Hidalgo family are made of.

They were hugs filled with love, pride, and joy...but also, sadness, for the fact that Da-Xia was living the dream that twins once had when they were younger, before learning that they were quirkless and that they could never become heroes.

Da-Xia sniffled and hugged her brothers tighter. They were a significant source of her inspiration for wanting to change how the world viewed heroes, because to Da-Xia, they were heroes. They had every trait worthy of a hero, and it wasn't fair that the world decided to deny them of their dream.

It was _always_ the deserving ones.

The next to join in the hug was Cesario, but he just awkwardly wrapped his arm around the piles of hugs, so that his hand was only able to reach Arsenio's hair that he roughly tugged on without shame. The boy cursed at the oldest child who gave a lazy grin in return.

And then finally, Casimiro joined in the little family affection, sobbing and going on and on about how proud he was of all of them.

They broke away shortly after that in fear of getting tears and snot on them from their father's blubbering.

Da-Xia wiped away her tears of joy (Hah! Get it?! I'm so smart!) and redirected her attention to the box that Lisandro had placed on the counter. She tiptoed over to it with the grace of a drunk swan and tore the lid off with her eyes going wide at the sight of Magdalena, which are a type of Spanish cake that taste of lemon.

"Didn't think you brothers remember your favorite treat?" Arsenio smirked. "Dig in, kid. They are all yours but maybe save me one, please?"

"I'll think about it," Da-Xia smirked pulling one of the sweets from the box and showing no hesitation in digging in. She nearly cried again from how delicious it was. "You guys are the reason I'm fat!" Da-Xia whined into her delectable treat.

Laughs echoed around the room as Da-Xia passed out the sugary sweets, and joined her family at the kitchen counter. They all chatted aimlessly as they feasted on the desserts until there were none left.

"Oh, Dixie, Mingzhu asked for us to give this to you," Lisandro said suddenly.

"You got in contact with Ming?" Cesario snorted. "She wasn't too busy for you? That's amazing."

"Not quite..." Lisandro sighed. "She called us so that we could deliver her lunch, again." Lisandro frowned and pulled a small silver box with a red bow from his pocket. "Here, Da-Xia. Oh, she wrote you a note too." He said, fishing out the note.

Da-Xia thanked him and wiped her hands on her pants. She stared at the box for a minute unsure of what to think of it.

Mingzhu...rarely gave out gifts, and when she did they were and had little thought or effort put into them.

Arsenio scoffed. "She can remember a case she worked on a year ago but can't even remember to visit home or call her family to let them know she's doing well. She's just like..." Arsenio trailed off with a sigh, but everyone knew who he was talking about.

Their sister was practically a clone of their mother.

Da-Xia decided to stall no longer and pulled the ribbon from the box. She set it off to the side and lifted the lid revealing her gift. Her eyes widened, surprised not to find something lame like socks - that's Ming's go to present - but instead, a beautiful bracelet that sparkled under kitchen light.

She carefully lifted it from the box and inspected the details; the bracelet was held together by a red thread, and was made from jade gemstones that were spaced apart by rose-quartz crystals; initials were engraved in to the stones of the jade to spell her name out in what she recognized to be her name in Chinese. A shiny, golden elephant charm hung in the center of the bracelet with a polished ruby for an eye.

Da-Xia was flabbergasted by the beautiful charm bracelet. It wasn't like anything she's ever seen before - especially from Mingzhu!

"What's the note say, sweetie?" Casimiro asked. He was also surprised by the thoughtful gift, considering his wife and daughter were as terrible when it came to gifts as they were cooking.

She had completely forgotten about the note! Da-Xia gently set the bracelet back in its box as she fished the letter out, and smoothed out the wrinkles from Lisandro's pocket.

She began to read.

 _ **Wǒ zuì qīn'ài de xiǎo mèimei...**_

Da-Xia almost tossed the note away right then and there. Migzhu knew that nobody in their family but herself and their mother knew Chinese and just the thought of the Chinese language gave Da-Xia the biggest headache of her life. Her mother had tried teaching her when she was young, but like with all her others siblings - minus Ming - gave up when seeing it was hopeless.

Still, she felt she had to...try and read the note.

 _ **Oh. Right. You can't read Chinese, can you? Sorry. It's become a habit at this point.**_

Da-Xia sighed. Her sister did this too often.

 _ **Māmā told me that you were trying out for Yuuei - well, she complained, really - and that you suddenly wanted to become a hero. It should have been evident with all your hero memorabilia you have shoved around your room; have you cleaned that lately? The last time I was there, it looked like a bunch of pigs had moved in.**_

Da-Xia's eye twitched.

 _ **Not to mention the smell. How do your clothes even get so smelly? Haven't you ever heard of perfume? You should try it sometime, Mèimei.**_

"Is this stupid letter just her insulting me the whole damn time?!" Da-Xia growled.

 _ **Hey. Wipe that ugly look off your face. I'm only joking, somewhat. The point of this letter wasn't to piss you off at me even more than you already are. I'm sure you've all had a family discussion about me by now, but you should worry about yourselves instead of always trying to butt into my personal life...I'm fine, thank you.**_

 _ **I'll visit once the case I'm working on is finished. I promise.**_

Da-Xia found comfort in those words. Even if she and her sister didn't always get along, she did make good with her promises.

 _ **I don't need to have a psychological quirk to know that you quickly passed that exam. You quirk and spitfire personality when in battle almost guarantee it but if you didn't, just toss this out. But I know you did. I'm never wrong about these things, and for that, I say congratulations, Da-Xia.**_

 _ **You're moving up in the world.**_

 _ **However, that doesn't excuse your actions. Oh yes, I'm almost one-hundred percent certain that you were reckless yet again, and pushed yourself too far, idiot. It's about time that you started to think before you act.**_

 _ **Look...I didn't waste valuable time in writing this letter just to berate you.**_

"You could have fooled me."

 _ **I'm your older sister. We're family. Whether you want to believe it or not, I care about you and worry about your wellbeing, okay? But, to make a long letter short, I've got you a gift that you've probably already seen by now.**_

 _ **It's a good luck charm. Every piece of that bracelet has some form of meaning - take care of it.**_

 _ **The red thread represents fire and passion. It's a perfect fit for you. It highlights your control over fire and the desire you have buried beneath those insecurities of yours.**_

 _ **Jade represents goodness, preciousness, and beauty - stop making that face - but it also leans towards courage, justice, and compassion, as well as wisdom, and modesty. I think it fits for a future hero.**_

 _ **The rose quartz crystals symbolize love and beauty in yourself. So start loving yourself and find yourself a boyfriend or girlfriend already. I think that Shinso boy is kinda cute, don't you?**_

Da-Xia's face became painted in red. "It's not like that!" She squeaked and tried to shake her blush way. Her thoughts momentarily drifted to the purple-haired boy. "Hey, Cesario, do you know if a boy named Shinso Hitoshi passed?"

Cesario frowned. "The name doesn't ring a bell. I can't say whether he did or not." Plus he only really remembers the names of the students who had shown potential to him, like that Midoriya kid, and that Bakugou brat.

Da-Xia frowned. "Oh. I'll ask him later...I guess."

Her attention returned to the note.

 _ **And finally - the elephant is a Chinese symbol of wisdom and strength.**_

 _ **I know I've given terrible gifts in the past (Don't expect that to change anytime soon), but I put a lot of love and effort into this gift, Mèimei**_

 _ **Cherish it and wear it at all times.**_

 _ **This bracelet represents everything I think and feel about you. So please take care of it, and know that when you wear it that I am with you...and I am so very proud of you, Da-Xia.**_

 _ **You're growing into a beautiful young woman.**_

 _ **Te quiero mucho, pequeño héroe.**_

 _ **Ps: Seriously. Clean that room. You're going to get lost in all that junk. Oh, and tell Arsenio and Lisandro I say thanks for lunch, and for Fùqīn**_ _ **to quit all his blubbering and start acting his age.**_

 _ **Also...I have things to discuss with Cesario when given a chance. It's imperative.**_

 _ **Your awesome AND NOT annoying older sister - Ming.**_

Da-Xia stared down at the note stained with freshly fallen tears. She removed the bracelet from the box and slipped it over her wrist; it was a perfect fit.

Da-Xia pressed the note to her chest and bit back a whimper.

There was at least one phrase she new in Chinese.

 _"Wǒyě ài nǐ_ _."_

* * *

Weeks had passed since Da-Xia learned of her acceptance to Yuuei. When the official letter came, she barely glanced at it before tossing it aside, already having known the outcome, those her enthusiasm for the future remained high.

It was also the first time that Shinso had contacted her since the exam. It wasn't long after she had received her letter that she got his text, asking her to call him. At first, she thought about ignoring him for spite since he hadn't bothered to contact her at all in the weeks that she _spent_ trying.

But she missed him, and with her weak will, she ended up calling him not even a minute after being told to do so.

The dial rang only once before Shinso picked up the phone.

 _"Hey."_

He spoke in his usual tired draw, though it was heavier than usual Da-Xia noted.

She smiled at finally hearing his voice again. "Hey. You remembered me." She laughed lightly. "I was beginning to think you went off and found a new best friend."

Shinso snorted.

 _"Too much work. Yeah, guess I should apologize, shouldn't I? I just needed some time alone...to think."_

Da-Xia sighed. "I understand that Shinso, but you had me worried. We've been talking almost every day since we've met, so it hurt when you just started ignoring me without even saying anything to me."

The words were practically a whisper on her breath.

"I...missed you, eggplant."

There was silence for a good minute. Then the sound of a heavy sigh filled her ears and drowned out the thundering of her heart.

 _"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. I'm not good with this apology crap...Dizzie."_ He paused as if to think of what he wanted to say. _"I guess I missed you too."_

Da-Xia's heart exploded with joy.

"You guess?" She laughed. "Of course you did. Once you get a taste of me, you can never get enough."

 _"That's perverted._

"Wha - I didn't - that's not...shut up, jerk!"

Shinso could imagine her flustered face and laughed.

 _"Relax. I'm kidding."_

Shinso's laugh was nice. Da-Xia wished he did it more.

 _"I called because I was curious...have you gotten your letter from Yuuei?"_

Her heart stopped. She was dreading this conversation.

"I did." Da-Xia breathed. "Did you?"

 _"Yeah."_

Silence followed by more silence. They both knew the question they wanted to asked, but neither knew how to go about it.

Da-Xia was afraid of what Shinso would say.

She broke the silence.

"What...did it say?"

A pause.

A sigh.

The clicking of his tongue.

 _"I...got accepted to Yuuei."_

Da-Xia's eyes widened, and her heart skipped a beat.

"You did?! Shinso that's-"

 _"I was denied into the Hero Course. They're putting me in General Studies, Da-Xia."_ He sounded defeated. _"I was barely able to do anything in the exam. Not when compared to those bastards who are blessed with their heroic quirks. The only reason I was accepted was because of my scores on the written exam."_

"Hitoshi I'm so sorry." Da-Xia clutched her phone. "You did your best. That test wasn't suited for people like you."

He laughed dryly.

 _"People like me, huh? Yeah, that figures. Save your worries. I'm over it."_

 _No, you're not._

"I didn't mean it that way, and you know it. The test was stupid and robbed so many people with the potential of a fair chance."

 _"Nothing is fair in this world. Haven't you learned that?"_ Shinso scowled. _"What about you? How did you do as if I don't already know."_

Da-Xia sighed. "Well, maybe you'll be happy to know that I nearly killed myself in that exam. I went too far and ended up in recovery. My family wasn't happy but I had to push myself."

 _"Answer the question, Hidalgo."_

Da-Xia flinched. Shinso only called her by her last name (He refused to include her mother's name) when he was angry with her. She couldn't tell if it was because of her recklessness, or if it was because he already knew her answer.

It was probably both.

"I ranked fourth place. I had a score of forty-eight points and some added rescue points, but I can't remember how many. I was...approved for the Hero Course." Da-Xia's voice broke to a whisper.

A long pause.

"You're mad at me, aren't you?"

Silence.

"Hitoshi please talk to me. I'm sorry-"

" _I've got to go. Later,_ _ **hero**_ _."_

The words stung, but it was the evident animosity in his voice that had Da-Xia curling herself into a ball and crying out her frustrations.

She felt terrible for Shinso, she did. But she wasn't in control of who got to play hero; Da-Xia would have picked Shinso over anybody else if she had the choice, but she didn't. She was angry and frustrated. She always did her best to support Shinso with whatever decision he made, but it seemed like he still found some way to drag her down and make her feel bad about herself because she was born with a physical quirk, and he wasn't.

It's not her fault, and she was tired of feeling bad for it.

If Shinso wanted to hate her, then fine.

He wouldn't keep her from her goals.

A real hero is made from the path they choose, and not the quirks that they are given. That's what Da-Xia believed.

Whether Shinso was with her or not, she was going to continue to walk down the path to change, and create a world of equality, so that people like Shinso no longer had to be left behind.

She was going to take a chance so that others could have a chance.

* * *

 **End Note:**

A short chapter pack full of family bonding, fluff, and some angst and drama! Honestly what more could you want?

You know I think I'm just now realizing that Da-Xia's father is the male version of Midoriya's mother.

I think those two would get along well.

A little translation list. They might not be completely accurate since I'm using the internet as my source.

 **¡Hijo! ¡¿Estas tratando de matarme?!** \- Son! Are you trying to kill me?!

 **mi hermana pequeña** \- My little sister

 **Lo siento hermano** \- I'm sorry big brother

 **Te quiero mucho, pequeño héroe** \- I love you so much, little hero.

 **Fùqīn** \- Father

 **Wǒ yě ài nǐ** \- I love you too


	3. Story has been rewritten on new account

Big Hero has been rewritten and is now known as "Jailbird". You can find the story on my new account, BrittsieTheDitz, or you can just search the story title - whatever works for you.


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